- Reviews
- Questions
United StatesSuch fun - A very welcome addition
Oh such fun! Ella Fitgerald is often at her very best in live recordings where her tremendous talent as a "performer" shines forth and this album does not disappoint. Fitzgerald's scat singing on "Air Mail Special" and "It Don't Mean a Thing" is simply a mind-boggling trip -- she's beyond great. These two cuts illustrate why she was such an exceptional and beloved performer. The opening Intro track 1 with Stuff Smith on violin and Don Abney on piano is a quite an opening for the excitement to come in what rolls along as a great on-stage jam session with these exceptional musicans. When Oscar Peterson takes over in later tracks, things just get even better. Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, Philly Jo Jones on drums -- just an amazing group backing Ella Fitzgerald and then getting to shine both as an instrumental group and on their own in extended solos. As a bonus, the album includes four tracks from the Rogers & Hart Song Book from Verve, recorded in studio in 1957 so of similar vintage. The transition from the mono live recording to the stereo studio recording is a bit jarring if not prepared for it, but that aside the sound quality of the Rogers & Hart section is superb. The sound quality of the mono live recording is very good. It reflects the usual challenges in a live recording and sounds a bit more distant (particulary when contrasted to the very upfront sound of the studio recording bonus tracks). Nonetheless, the sound is clean, clear, and with good frequency extension. Ella Fitzgerald's voice is captured particularly clearly with excellent resolution. That HDTT was willing to make the transfer directly to DSD256 indicates that they had a very good tape to work from. This is a very welcome addition to the various Ella Live recordings in my library. Now I'm just hoping HDTT can find a good tape of Live in Berlin to transfer. ;-)
United StatesElla Live in France review
Very good recording and transfer. I give 4 stars instead of 5 because 1) The crowd noise is very loud between songs and 2) My Pure Music software doesn't play DSD files gaplessly, so the (too loud) crowd noise discipates, there's a loud pop, then the crowd noise comes back up. I would have been better off not getting the DSD version. My fault, not HDTT's.
Description:
Artist(s): Ella Fitzgerald, vocals
Artists for the live tracks:
Oscar Peterson, piano
Roy Eldridge, trumpet
Stuff Smith, violin
Herb Ellis, guitar
Ray Brown, bass
Jo Jones, drums
Don Abney, piano on intro Track 1
Recording Info: Recorded May 2, 1957, at the Salle Pleyel, Paris for Norman Granz
Jazz at the Philharmonic Series (Mono Tracks)
1 Intro 2:42
2 Get Me Singing The Blues with Norman Granz Intro 2:35
3 Angel Eyes 3:30
4 April in Paris 3;57
5 Air mAil Special 3:55
6 Don't Mean a Thing with Norman Granz Intro 7:52
Bonus Tracks from Rodgers & Hart Song Book (Stereo)
Recorded by Verve Records released in 1956
7 I've Got Five Dollars 2:41
8 Give it back to the Indians 3:11
9 I Didn't Know What Time it Was 3:46
10 To Keep My Love Alive 3:34
 |
|
